Bible Commentaries

Ezra 4:7-23 — Opposition during Artaxerxes’ reign 4:7-23 Artaxerxes was the successor of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), who ruled the Persian Empire from 464 to 424 B.C. [Note: See William H. Shea, "Who Succeeded Xerxes on the Throne of Persia?" Journal of the Adventist Theological Society 12:1 (Spring

Psalms 97:2-5 — These verses reveal the appearance of the Lord in terms similar to other visions God gave His prophets (cf. Isaiah 6:1-4; Ezekiel 1; Revelation 1). The psalmist’s words describe God’s glory in figurative language. Clouds and thick darkness picture awesome power (cf. Deuteronomy 4:11; Deuteronomy 5:22-23; cf. Zechariah 14:6-7). Fire represents God’s consuming

Isaiah 31:3 — is stark. "To us ’flesh’ seems so substantial, because visible and tangible, while ’spirit’ may seem ethereal. . . . Nothing could be further from biblical thinking, as a glance at passages like Zechariah 4:6 and John 3:5-8 will disclose." [Note: Grogan, p. 202.] Yahweh would stretch out His hand in powerful judgment to defeat the helpers (Egypt) as well as the helped (Judah) because they trusted in human power rather than in God (cf. Deuteronomy

Isaiah 51:4 — "law") to the whole world. His justice in fulfilling His promises to the Israelites would lead many of the Gentiles out of their darkness and into His light. This is what Isaiah revealed earlier that Messiah the Servant would do (Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 11:4; Isaiah 16:4-5; Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 49:6).

Jeremiah 1:4 — The prophet now began speaking to his readers and telling them what the Lord had said to him. Throughout this book, an indication that the Lord had told Jeremiah something is often the sign of a new pericope, as here (cf. Jeremiah 1:11; Jeremiah 1:13; Jeremiah 2:1; Jeremiah 2:4; Jeremiah 3:6; Jeremiah 3:11; Jeremiah 4:3; Jeremiah 4:27; et al.). These references are not the only indicators of a new section of text, but they usually indicate the beginning or ending of a section when they appear.

Jeremiah 13:1-11 — The linen waistband 13:1-11 This is the first of several symbolic acts that Jeremiah performed to communicate divine messages (cf. Jeremiah 16:1-4; Jeremiah 18:1-12; Jeremiah 19:1-2; Jeremiah 19:10-11; Jeremiah 27:1 to Jeremiah 28:17; Jeremiah 32:1-15; Jeremiah 43:8-13; Jeremiah 51:59-64). Other prophets did the same thing (cf. Isaiah 20:2-6; Ezekiel 4:1-13; Ezekiel 5:1-4). This acted sermon confronted the Judahites with the polluting effect of their associations and the consequences.

Matthew 4:18-22 — 3. The call of four disciples 4:18-22 (cf. Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11) The calling of these four men shows Jesus’ authority over people. The response of these disciples was appropriate in view of their summons by the King. They obeyed "immediately" (Matthew 4:20; Matthew 4:22). From here on in the Gospel of Matthew we will not read stories about Jesus alone; He is always with His disciples, until they desert Him in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:56).

Deuteronomy 4:32-40 — 5. The uniqueness of Yahweh and Israel 4:32-40 "The passage at hand is without comparison as a discourse on the doctrine of God." [Note: Merrill, Deuteronomy, p. 130.] Moses’ three rhetorical questions (Deuteronomy 4:32-34) clearly point out the uniqueness of Yahweh. "In

John 4:51-53 — promise. His recovery was no accident. This resulted in his believing in Jesus to an even deeper level, though he may not have understood that He was the Son of God. The members of his household believed in Jesus too (cf. John 2:11; Acts 10:2; Acts 11:14; Acts 16:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 18:8). He learned that Jesus’ word is powerful to save even at a distance. His faith grew from "crisis faith" (John 4:47), to "confident faith" (John 4:50), to "confirmed faith" (John

Acts 6:8 — Stephen was full of grace (cf. cf. Acts 4:33; Luke 4:22) and power (cf. Acts 2:22; Acts 4:33) as well as the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3; Acts 6:5), wisdom (Acts 6:3), and faith (Acts 6:5). His ability to perform miracles seems unrelated to his having been appointed as one of the Seven (Acts 6:5; cf. Acts 21:8). Jesus and the Twelve were not the only ones who had the ability to perform miracles (cf. Acts 2:22; Acts 2:43; Acts 5:12).

Romans 4:13-17 — 4. The priority of faith to the promise concerning headship of many nations 4:13-17 The Jews believed that they had a claim on Abraham that Gentiles did not have. Obviously he was the father of their nation, and this did place him in a unique relationship

1 Corinthians 4:8 — their commendation at the judgment seat of Christ. This is an indication of their over-realized eschatology. They should have been conducting themselves as under-rowing servants and paying attention to managing God’s work faithfully (1 Corinthians 4:1). Ironically Paul said he wished the time for rewards had arrived so he could enjoy reigning with his readers. Unfortunately suffering must precede glory. "The irony is devastating: How they perceive themselves, masterfully overstated in 1 Corinthians

Ephesians 4:12 — these gifted leaders is to prepare the rest of the saints to minister and so build up the body of Christ, the church. "Equipping" (Gr. katartismon) means preparing, mending, or restoring people to their proper use (Galatians 6:1; cf. Matthew 4:21; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Hebrews 13:21). The role of these leaders is to minister the Word to the saints in the church so the saints can minister the Word in the world (cf. 1 Timothy 3:15). All the saints should participate in service, not just the

Joshua 6:1-5 — the fact that the city had strong fortifications. As in the previous section, the writer recorded the command of God first (Joshua 6:2-5; cf. Psalms 108:12-13) and then Joshua’s execution of the command (Joshua 6:6-21; cf. Joshua 3:7-8; Joshua 4:1-3; Joshua 4:15-16). Unlike Moses, who at the burning bush argued at length with the Lord about His plan (Exodus 3:11 to Exodus 4:17), Joshua obeyed without question.

2 Timothy 4:18 — Paul knew he would die a martyr’s death (2 Timothy 4:6-8), but he saw death as God’s vehicle to deliver him from an evil deed (his execution) and to bring him into his Lord’s presence. For this prospect he glorified God. Thoughts of the coming heavenly kingdom that Paul was about to enter

Hebrews 12:18-21 — These verses describe the giving of the Old Covenant at Mt. Sinai (cf. Hebrews 2:2-4; Exodus 19:9-23; Deuteronomy 4:11; Deuteronomy 9:8-19). [Note: See J. M. Casey, "Eschatology in Hebrews 12:14-29: An Exegetical Study" (Ph.D. dissertation, Catholic University of Leuven, 1977), p. 318.] The writer made Sinai and Zion metaphors

Hebrews 6:5 — Every true Christian has tasted the Word of God and found it to be good to some extent. The original readers had also tasted the powers (lit. miracles) of the coming messianic age. They had observed the apostles perform miracles (cf. Hebrews 2:4). The five events listed in Hebrews 6:4-5 view salvation as involving different aspects; they do not present a succession of salvific events. [Note: Philip E. Hughes, "Hebrews 6:4-6 and the Peril of Apostasy," Westminster Theological Journal

2 Peter 2:4-10 — B. The Consequences of False Teaching 2:4-10a Peter next described the consequences that follow false teaching to help his readers see the importance of avoiding it. "Verses 4-10a form one long, complex conditional sentence; 2 Peter 2:4-8 form the conditional statement, and 2 Peter 2:9-10

Revelation 19:1 — This first song praises God for judging the harlot. After John received the revelation about the destruction of commercial Babylon, he evidently heard another angelic chorus singing loudly in heaven (cf. Revelation 4:8; Revelation 4:11; Revelation 5:12-14). "Hallelujah" means "Praise the Lord." Its only four occurrences in the New Testament are in this pericope (Revelation 19:1; Revelation 19:3-4; Revelation 19:6), though it occurs frequently

Ruth 4:13-17 — C. God’s provision of a Song of Solomon 4:13-17 Ruth 4:13 is a key verse in the book because it records the fulfillment of Naomi and Ruth’s plans to obtain rest (Ruth 2:2; Ruth 3:1-5). [Note: See Constable, p. 111.] A son was indispensable to the continuation of the line of Boaz as well